127 research outputs found
Formulation of Electrodynamics with an External Source in the Presence of a Minimal Measurable Length
In a series of papers, Quesne and Tkachuk (J. Phys. A: Math. Gen.
\textbf{39}, 10909 (2006); Czech. J. Phys. \textbf{56}, 1269 (2006)) presented
a -dimensional -two-parameter Lorentz-covariant deformed
algebra which leads to a nonzero minimal measurable length. In this paper, the
Lagrangian formulation of electrodynamics in a 3+1-dimensional space-time
described by Quesne-Tkachuk algebra is studied in the special case
up to first order over the deformation parameter . It is
demonstrated that at the classical level there is a similarity between
electrodynamics in the presence of a minimal measurable length (generalized
electrodynamics) and Lee-Wick electrodynamics. We obtain the free space
solutions of the inhomogeneous Maxwell's equations in the presence of a minimal
length. These solutions describe two vector particles (a massless vector
particle and a massive vector particle). We estimate two different upper bounds
on the isotropic minimal length. The first upper bound is near to the
electroweak length scale , while the
second one is near to the length scale for the strong interactions
. The relationship between the
Gaete-Spallucci nonlocal electrodynamics (J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. \textbf{45},
065401 (2012)) and electrodynamics with a minimal length is investigated.Comment: 13 pages, no figur
Lightweight amorphous silicon photovoltaic modules on flexible plastic substrate
Solar cells on lightweight and flexible substrates have advantages over glass-or wafer-based photovoltaic devices in both terrestrial and space applications. Here, we report on development of amorphous silicon thin film photovoltaic modules fabricated at maximum deposition temperature of 150 degrees C on 100 mu m thick polyethylene-naphtalate plastic films. Each module of 10 cm x 10 cm area consists of 72 a-Si:H n-i-p rectangular structures with transparent conducting oxide top electrodes with Al fingers and metal back electrodes deposited through the shadow masks. Individual structures are connected in series forming eight rows with connection ports provided for external blocking diodes. The design optimization and device performance analysis are performed using a developed SPICE model
Lightweight amorphous silicon photovoltaic modules on flexible plastic substrate
Solar cells on lightweight and flexible substrates have advantages over glass-or wafer-based photovoltaic devices in both terrestrial and space applications. Here, we report on development of amorphous silicon thin film photovoltaic modules fabricated at maximum deposition temperature of 150 degrees C on 100 mu m thick polyethylene-naphtalate plastic films. Each module of 10 cm x 10 cm area consists of 72 a-Si:H n-i-p rectangular structures with transparent conducting oxide top electrodes with Al fingers and metal back electrodes deposited through the shadow masks. Individual structures are connected in series forming eight rows with connection ports provided for external blocking diodes. The design optimization and device performance analysis are performed using a developed SPICE model
Signatures of granular microstructure in dense shear flows
Granular materials react to shear stresses differently than do ordinary
fluids. Rather than deforming uniformly, materials such as dry sand or
cohesionless powders develop shear bands: narrow zones containing large
relative particle motion leaving adjacent regions essentially rigid[1,2,3,4,5].
Since shear bands mark areas of flow, material failure and energy dissipation,
they play a crucial role for many industrial, civil engineering and geophysical
processes[6]. They also appear in related contexts, such as in lubricating
fluids confined to ultra-thin molecular layers[7]. Detailed information on
motion within a shear band in a three-dimensional geometry, including the
degree of particle rotation and inter-particle slip, is lacking. Similarly,
only little is known about how properties of the individual grains - their
microstructure - affect movement in densely packed material[5]. Combining
magnetic resonance imaging, x-ray tomography, and high-speed video particle
tracking, we obtain the local steady-state particle velocity, rotation and
packing density for shear flow in a three-dimensional Couette geometry. We find
that key characteristics of the granular microstructure determine the shape of
the velocity profile.Comment: 5 pages, incl. 4 figure
Efficient buchwald hartwig reaction catalyzed by spions-bis(NHC)-Pd(II)
A powerful and convenient reaction procedure for the C-N coupling reaction (the Buchwald-Hartwig reaction), yielding products of N-arylanilines and N-arylamines in both conventional heating and microwave irradiation has been reported. The protocol utilizes a stable and new supper ferromagnetic nanoparticle chelating N-heterocyclic dicarbene palladium(II) complex (Pd-NHC) as catalyst which helps/allows us to complete the reaction with only 0.002 mol% Pd producing high yield products. We also examined the reusability of the catalyst. It was found that the catalyst could be recovered by external magnetic field and reused for seven times without obvious loss in catalytic activity
Shearing of loose granular materials: A statistical mesoscopic model
A two-dimensional lattice model for the formation and evolution of shear
bands in granular media is proposed. Each lattice site is assigned a random
variable which reflects the local density. At every time step, the strain is
localized along a single shear-band which is a spanning path on the lattice
chosen through an extremum condition. The dynamics consists of randomly
changing the `density' of the sites only along the shear band, and then
repeating the procedure of locating the extremal path and changing it. Starting
from an initially uncorrelated density field, it is found that this dynamics
leads to a slow compaction along with a non-trivial patterning of the system,
with high density regions forming which shelter long-lived low-density valleys.
Further, as a result of these large density fluctuations, the shear band which
was initially equally likely to be found anywhere on the lattice, gets
progressively trapped for longer and longer periods of time. This state is
however meta-stable, and the system continues to evolve slowly in a manner
reminiscent of glassy dynamics. Several quantities have been studied
numerically which support this picture and elucidate the unusual system-size
effects at play.Comment: 11 pages, 15 figures revtex, submitted to PRE, See also:
cond-mat/020921
Dynamics of Highly Supercooled Liquids:Heterogeneity, Rheology, and Diffusion
Highly supercooled liquids with soft-core potentials are studied via
molecular dynamics simulations in two and three dimensions in quiescent and
sheared conditions.We may define bonds between neighboring particle pairs
unambiguously owing to the sharpness of the first peak of the pair correlation
functions. Upon structural rearrangements, they break collectively in the form
of clusters whose sizes grow with lowering the temperature . The bond life
time , which depends on and the shear rate \gdot, is on the order
of the usual structural or relaxation time in weak
shear \gdot \tau_{\alpha} \ll 1, while it decreases as 1/\gdot in strong
shear \gdot\tau_{\alpha} \gg 1 due to shear-induced cage breakage.
Accumulated broken bonds in a time interval () closely
resemble the critical fluctuations of Ising spin systems. For example, their
structure factor is well fitted to the Ornstein-Zernike form, which yields the
correlation length representing the maximum size of the clusters composed
of broken bonds. We also find a dynamical scaling relation, , valid for any and \gdot with in two dimensions and
in three dimensions. The viscosity is of order for any and
\gdot, so marked shear-thinning behavior emerges. The shear stress is close
to a limiting stress in a wide shear region. We also examine motion of tagged
particles in shear in three dimensions. The diffusion constant is found to be
of order with for any and \gdot, so
it is much enhanced in strong shear compared with its value at zero shear. This
indicates breakdown of the Einstein-Stokes relation in accord with experiments.
Some possible experiments are also proposed.Comment: 20pages (including figures
The clinical effectiveness of individual behaviour change interventions to reduce risky sexual behaviour after a negative human immunodeficiency virus test in men who have sex with men: systematic and realist reviews and intervention development
Background:
Men who have sex with men (MSM) experience significant inequalities in health and well-being. They are the group in the UK at the highest risk of acquiring a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Guidance relating to both HIV infection prevention, in general, and individual-level behaviour change interventions, in particular, is very limited.
Objectives:
To conduct an evidence synthesis of the clinical effectiveness of behaviour change interventions to reduce risky sexual behaviour among MSM after a negative HIV infection test. To identify effective components within interventions in reducing HIV risk-related behaviours and develop a candidate intervention. To host expert events addressing the implementation and optimisation of a candidate intervention.
Data sources:
All major electronic databases (British Education Index, BioMed Central, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, EMBASE, Educational Resource Index and Abstracts, Health and Medical Complete, MEDLINE, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, PubMed and Social Science Citation Index) were searched between January 2000 and December 2014.
Review methods:
A systematic review of the clinical effectiveness of individual behaviour change interventions was conducted. Interventions were examined using the behaviour change technique (BCT) taxonomy, theory coding assessment, mode of delivery and proximity to HIV infection testing. Data were summarised in narrative review and, when appropriate, meta-analysis was carried out. Supplemental analyses for the development of the candidate intervention focused on post hoc realist review method, the assessment of the sequential delivery and content of intervention components, and the social and historical context of primary studies. Expert panels reviewed the candidate intervention for issues of implementation and optimisation.
Results:
Overall, trials included in this review (n = 10) demonstrated that individual-level behaviour change interventions are effective in reducing key HIV infection risk-related behaviours. However, there was considerable clinical and methodological heterogeneity among the trials. Exploratory meta-analysis showed a statistically significant reduction in behaviours associated with high risk of HIV transmission (risk ratio 0.75, 95% confidence interval 0.62 to 0.91). Additional stratified analyses suggested that effectiveness may be enhanced through face-to-face contact immediately after testing, and that theory-based content and BCTs drawn from ‘goals and planning’ and ‘identity’ groups are important. All evidence collated in the review was synthesised to develop a candidate intervention. Experts highlighted overall acceptability of the intervention and outlined key ways that the candidate intervention could be optimised to enhance UK implementation.
Limitations:
There was a limited number of primary studies. All were from outside the UK and were subject to considerable clinical, methodological and statistical heterogeneity. The findings of the meta-analysis must therefore be treated with caution. The lack of detailed intervention manuals limited the assessment of intervention content, delivery and fidelity.
Conclusions:
Evidence regarding the effectiveness of behaviour change interventions suggests that they are effective in changing behaviour associated with HIV transmission. Exploratory stratified meta-analyses suggested that interventions should be delivered face to face and immediately after testing. There are uncertainties around the generalisability of these findings to the UK setting. However, UK experts found the intervention acceptable and provided ways of optimising the candidate intervention.
Future work:
There is a need for well-designed, UK-based trials of individual behaviour change interventions that clearly articulate intervention content and demonstrate intervention fidelity
A wager on the future: a practicable response to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and the stubborn fact of process
In this article we focus on public health’s wager on the social implications of a daily antiretroviral pill to prevent HIV, referred to as PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis). The wager is shown to rely on modes of inquiry overly tied to what is known of the present in order to predict the future. Although such inquiry is not unusual when social research is called upon to assist health policy, predictive methodologies are unable to appreciate the dynamic and thus indeterminate nature of process. We ask: what mode of inquiry might practicably appreciate that what happens in the present will have a bearing on the future, without foreclosing on unknown possibles? Drawing on speculative and pragmatic philosophy, we reflect on our own qualitative research on PrEP to suggest that conventional methodological approaches can contribute to the future without seeking to determine what it will become
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